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Piano Inspires Discovery
A space dedicated to inspiring the love of piano and music making through educational and inspirational content.
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The Piano Conference: NCKP 2025 Schedule Announcement
We are pleased to announce the schedule of The Piano Conference: NCKP 2025! Returning to the Westin Chicago Lombard Hotel (Lombard, IL), The Piano Conference features a new, innovative in-person summit. This opening one-day summit engages the full community and provides a gathering for all to collectively share, dialogue, and exchange ideas. The Piano Conference…
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Piano Inspires Podcast: Gail Berenson
To celebrate the latest episode of the Piano Inspires Podcast featuring Gail Berenson, we are sharing an excerpted transcript of her conversation with Alejandro Cremaschi. Want to learn more about Berenson? Check out the latest installment of the Piano Inspires Podcast. To learn more, visit pianoinspires.com. Listen to our latest episode with Berenson on Apple Podcasts,…
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Breaking Stereotypes: Indigenous Composers Defining New Musical Frontiers
We would like to thank Connor Chee for this insightful article on Indigenous composers. To read the full article, click here. The Frances Clark Center is excited to share our latest publication: Weaving Sounds: Elementary Piano Pieces by Native and Indigenous Composers, compiled and edited by Connor Chee and Renata Yazzie. Learn more and get…
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Piano Inspires Podcast: Courtney Crappell
To celebrate the latest episode of the Piano Inspires Podcast featuring Courtney Crappell, we are sharing an excerpted transcript of his conversation with Jennifer Snow. Want to learn more about Crappell? Check out the latest installment of the Piano Inspires Podcast. To learn more, visit pianoinspires.com. Listen to our latest episode with Crappell on Apple Podcasts,…
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This Month in Piano History – February 2025
February is a month of reflection and celebration as we observe Black History Month and Valentine’s Day. It is also a time of remembrance and commemoration as we recall many important composers and pianists. Read below to discover more about a famous pianist and showman, the lives of two different composers, and a celebrated American…
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Celebrate the Power of a Piano Lesson This Valentine’s Day
Music has the power to transform lives, and it all starts with a single lesson. This Valentine’s Day, show your love for music and the teachers who make it possible by donating the value of one piano lesson to the Power of a Piano Lesson campaign. At The Frances Clark Center, we believe in the…
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Piano Inspires Podcast: Barbara Fast
To celebrate the latest episode of the Piano Inspires Podcast featuring Barbara Fast, we are sharing an excerpted transcript of her conversation with Pamela Pike. Want to learn more about Fast? Check out the latest installment of the Piano Inspires Podcast. To learn more, visit pianoinspires.com. Listen to our latest episode with Fast on Apple Podcasts,…
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Publications Launch Party: Weaving Sounds: Elementary Piano Pieces by Native and Indigenous Composers
Webinar with Connor Chee and Renata Yazzie Weaving Sounds is a collection of beginner piano repertoire written by the vibrant and diverse voices of Native and Indigenous composers from the Diné, Mohawk, Anishinaabe, Cree, Blackfoot, Jicarilla Apache, Choctaw, and Mohican communities. Each piece is a unique expression of the composers’ cultural roots and personal artistry,…
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The Piano Conference: NCKP 2025 Innovation Summit: Designing the Future of Piano Education
Join us for The Piano Conference: NCKP 2025 as we gather together in person and online. The Piano Conference seeks to explore the challenges and opportunities facing our international community at this inflection point for the profession. Full conference registration includes four days of engagement, including the summit, concerts, keynotes, PEDx presentations, and more, as…
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This Week in Piano History: The Demise of Hanon
THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, we remember composer and organist Charles-Louis Hanon, who died on March 19, 1900 in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France. Author of the infamous collection The Virtuoso Pianist, Hanon is little known besides this work. Hanon was born in Renescure, a village in northern France. He learned to play organ and later moved to…
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Teaching Students to Love Classical Period Repertoire: Q&A with Suzanne Newcomb
Don’t miss Suzanne Newcomb’s Inspiring Artistry contribution about Beethoven’s Sonatina in G Major, which includes information on how to effectively teach the piece. Why is it important for students to learn Classical-period repertoire? What are some of the benefits? Classical-period repertoire represents the foundation of much of the piano music that follows it! Baroque composers…
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How To Travel to NCKP 2023: The Piano Conference without Breaking the Bank!
Register for NCKP: 2023! Click here to register. Having spent a good amount of the last 30 years zig-zagging the skies as a music technology consultant, I have personally experienced nearly every curveball air travel can toss my way. In all this time, through quite a bit of trial and error and by picking up…
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Five Things You Might Not Know About Claude Debussy
Check out Andy Villemez’s video of Debussy: La Fille aux Cheveux de Lin, L. 177/8 where he explores the preparation, practice, and interpretation of this unique piece. 1. When referring to his own music, Debussy hated the term “impressionism.” The life of most composers includes small, or even lengthy battles in how their music is…
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This Week in Piano History: The Birth of “Mr. Harmony”
THIS WEEK IN PIANO HISTORY, we celebrate the birth of composer Mario Ruiz Armengol, who was born on March 17, 1914. A Mexican composer, Ruiz Armengol wrote a number of important piano works including a sonata, the 31 Piezas para niños, and 12 Estudios. Ruiz Armengol was born into a large family in Veracruz, Mexico.…
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“Piano Inspires” Webinar: William Chapman Nyaho Interview
The Frances Clark Center was thrilled to welcome William Chapman Nyaho to our “Piano Inspires” Webinar series. Please enjoy his engaging conversation with Dr. Jennifer Snow, CEO of the Frances Clark Center, and we encourage you to join us for all of our upcoming webinars. https://pianoinspires.com/webinars/ In this installment of our Piano Inspires… series, Dr. Jennifer…
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Five Things You Might Not Know About Filip Lazăr
Check out Danny Milan’s video of Lazăr: Pièces minuscules pour les enfants, Op.16 where he explores the preparation, practice, and interpretation of this unique piece. 1. He was a founding member of the Society of Romanian Composers. Also known as the Romanian Composers’ Society (Societatea Compozitorilor Romani), this organization was founded by Romanian composers George…
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This Week in Piano History: National Black Women in Jazz and the Arts Day
Happy National Black Women in Jazz and the Arts Day! Created by the organization Black Women in Jazz, this day celebrates the remarkable impact of Black women in jazz and all the arts. Today, we are highlighting several Black women pianists and composers who have made special contributions to our field. Nina Simone, born February…
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Five Composers You Might Not Know Were Influenced by Indonesian Gamelan
We encourage you to watch Regina Tanujaya’s archived webinar here: “Piano Music by Composers of Asian Heritage, Part 2,” who’s joined by Chee-Hwa Tan and Li-Ly Chang, and Luis Sanchez. This webinar shares appealing and accessible piano teaching music by composers of Asian heritage. 1. Claude Debussy (1862-1918) Debussy first heard the gamelan at the…
